Inside Lacrosse March Issue: Looking at a New Era at Notre Dame

The theme of the March issue of Inside Lacrosse was coaching philosophies that are the hallmark of a lacrosse program. After a season that saw numerous coaching changes at the Division I level, the biggest coming when Christine Halfpenny took over at Notre Dame, it seemed appropriate to take a look at the Irish as a program.

The biggest thing I took from doing this story is how revitalized the team is under Halfpenny. She's instilled a new sense of confidence and mental toughness in a team that seemed to be missing over the past few seasons. How much a change in culture and attitude makes remains to be fully seen, but the Irish are off to a solid start with a challenging test against undefeated Ohio State this weekend.

The following are some quotes from the cutting room floor, as Notre Dame players, past and present, opened up about the new era and how life under Halfpenny has changed the team. Grace Golden, who played for Halfpenny at William & Mary, also chimes in, as well as Halfpenny herself.

"She knows exactly what she wants and how to get them to do what she wants and they've responded so well to them. When she got the job, I thought 'who better?' Anyone can relate to her. She has so much energy. You just hear her talk and you want to play for her."— Jillian Byers, Notre Dame ('09)

"I think the energy is so great. It's nothing like anything I've experienced at this school before. Right off the bat, we started defining who we were and what kind of team we wanted to be. We're still working toward that goal."— Megan Sullivan, Notre Dame Defender

"In the past, people would fall apart over run tests. Often times, on the field when people didn't see us, we would bicker or get mad at silly situations. We're learning that if mistakes happen, you push through them. Chris doesn't harp on them. She tells you what you did wrong. She'll yell and then five minutes later she'll tell you how awesome you did. She doesn't hold onto things. In the past, if we made a mistake, we might have let that linger and it would come through at the end of games."— Maggie Tamasitis, Notre Dame Attacker

"Chris is definitely a competitor, which is contagious. She wants to be kicking butt and killing other teams. That enthusiasm and passion is contagious for the whole team. Our leader wants to do that and so everyone else wants to do that too. She has a very direct coaching style and she tells you what she wants, and if you're not doing it, she'll let you know. It's very black and white."— Megan Sullivan

"We follow the rule of positive impact. It's a philosophy I've developed over the course of eight years with my coaching by taking pieces of other programs and putting in what I think will develop strong character. Everything we do should be done in a manner of positive impact from how we behave to how we respond. We read a book over [winter] break called "The Energy Bus," which is a great leadership book. We're focusing on what we're doing and not just what others are doing. Ultimately, we want to create an environment that's positive."— Christine Halfpenny, Notre Dame Head Coach

"You have to work hard and give her everything you've got. If we were having a bad practice, she would certainly let us know. She instills hard work. You can tell she wants everything out of every practice, and there's a sense that you have to give it to her. Even if you only have 80 percent that day, you're giving your whole 80 percent."— Grace Golden, William & Mary ('11)